Snapped
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: There's only so much even Connor Temple could bottle up inside. He felt it snap and all the anger, frustration and guilt he'd been holding back seemed to explode and he lost it...


**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine and no copyright is intended**

**The cover photo used for this fic is from artwork by LuvConnor.**

**A/N: This turned out a whole lot more angsty than I had intended it to be - seems I just can't help myself ;) Comments are like food for the muse, if you enjoy this please let me know**

* * *

It had been building towards this for weeks; there's only so much even Connor Temple could bottle up inside. He felt it snap and all the anger, frustration and guilt he'd been holding back seemed to explode and he lost it.

Nine weeks. That's how long they'd been stranded here now. Abby had given up counting the notches he'd been making on the tree trunk outside their shelter several days ago, but he hadn't. It was like Chinese water torture, each new notch he made to signify another day lost just seemed to add to the escalating tension, yet he couldn't stop marking the time. It was his fault the anomaly device had died and it was his fault that Danny had had to go off on his own after Helen. In fact, this whole hopeless situation was his fault.

Now Abby was losing her patience with him too. She'd been very gracious so far, telling him the only person to blame for their predicament was Helen Cutter. They'd spent many long nights in each other's arms, talking about everything from what Becker was doing right now, comparing the stars in the sky to the ones they knew back home and what their life had been like before the ARC and the anomalies. Connor had learnt more about Abby in the last few weeks than he had in the entire three years he'd been sharing a flat with her. They'd made love too. He'd never forget the first time; Abby's soft cries as they connected and that overwhelming sensation of finally feeling complete after knowing there was something missing in his life. It was Abby's love that had kept him on an even keel, but now he was doubting how she felt. She'd snapped at him for mentioning the possibility of the anomaly reopening and them getting home in time for Christmas. It had hit him as hard as a knockout blow in the boxing ring.

He'd never felt anything like this before and it scared him. When he finally opened his eyes he realised that he'd somehow ended up pinning Abby against the tree. Horrified, he stared down into her blue eyes. It was the first time he'd seen fear in them and it was him that she was afraid of. What had he done in that moment when he'd stopped holding back?

"Connor?"

Abby reached up a tentative hand and stroked his tear stained cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise. You just... took me by surprise."

Connor could feel his heart pounding hard against his chest and his breathing was fast. He clenched his fists and tried to push away this alien emotion that had suddenly consumed his entire being. He realised that he'd been like a coiled spring, getting wound tighter and tighter and now he had reached the absolute limit.

"It's OK, Connor," Abby was saying softly, her hand cupping his face. "I should have seen this coming before now and helped you let out some of this... tension."

"How can you be so calm?" Connor spat. "You're stuck millions of years from home, away from the people and things you care about, and all because of me! You must hate me so much. All this being nice is just a front to try and keep the peace."

"We've been through this so many times, Connor." Abby softened her voice even more. She needed to bring him back down, talk him round and make him see sense. "The only person I blame is..."

"Yes, yes... Helen Cutter. That's what you say... but I know you're just..."

"What do you want me to say, Connor? That I wish you weren't here? That I regret not following Danny when I had the chance? That I think you're an idiot for not making sure that device was fully charged?"

Connor's chest hurt and he gasped for air. Did it make him feel any better to hear Abby say what he'd been thinking all this time? He hated feeling like this. It wasn't him. He didn't get angry, he wasn't a violent man and he usually worked through his problems by thrashing them out on the computer. Maybe that was the whole issue; he didn't have any outlets here and he'd let his negativity fester inside until it had twisted his mind into someone he didn't recognise.

"I know what you need," Abby purred, her free hand moving to his chest, palm flat against him. He looked down at her again. The fear he'd seen in her eyes before was still there, but lessened. There was something else there too, a look he did recognise. Her hand slowly drifted down to his waistband and her fingers deftly unfastened the button on his jeans. He swallowed nervously, thinking about protesting. How could she even begin to think sex would make this better?

He thought about pushing her away as he felt her begin to ease his jeans down over his slender hips, but he found himself almost frozen to the spot. Gently, Abby eased his growing erection from the confines of his underwear and dropped to her knees, confidently grasping him in one hand as he felt the familiar warmth of her lips sinking over the tip. This wasn't helping in the slightest. All he felt was the knotting in his stomach increase tenfold, and the added pressure that Abby would want him to perform and satisfy her when all he wanted to do was yell and scream and maybe throw something.

Finally, his head won. He recoiled away from Abby, shaking his head. "I can't," he said. "Not like this."

"Of course," Abby smiled, standing up. "What you really need is to just go for it, right? To take me right now." She began to unfasten her own jeans, sliding them and her underwear off and then reaching out a hand for Connor. "You need this." She took him firmly by the wrist and guided his hand between her thighs. Instinctively, Connor slid a finger into her, seeking her wet core and sensing her arousal. She leaned back against the firm trunk of the tree, beckoning for Connor to follow.

"Let it out, Connor," Abby growled. "Channel all of that frustration into something good." His erection lay heavy, pressed against both their stomachs as Abby sought Connor's lips. She tugged at his lower lip whilst reaching down between them to stroke his length.

"Abby, I can't!" Once again, Connor backed away from Abby's advances. "I'm scared."

"What of? It's only me. If you can't let yourself go with me then..."

"I'm scared that I'll hurt you." That was the truth, he really was afraid that this new emotion that had suddenly been unleashed was out of control. Hurting Abby would devastate him.

"You won't, that's a promise," Abby whispered, again pulling him against her body. "I trust you. You'll know if you've gone too far, and if you don't... well I am more than capable of whipping your ass."

The urge was too strong to resist any longer. Surging forward, Connor grasped Abby's left thigh and hitched it to his hip. The sound that emanated from somewhere deep within his soul was barely recognisable as he entered her. Abby's gasping cry scared him but her eyes told him what he needed to know. This was OK. Tightening his grip on her leg, he pulled out almost the whole way and prepared to thrust in again.

"Let it all go, Connor," Abby breathed, encouraging him and readying herself to do whatever Connor needed her to do to purge himself of everything he had been repressing. When he sank into her again, it was hard. The tree was the only thing that prevented them from both crashing to the ground in a heap.

At last, Connor was feeling the tension leave him. He found a rhythm that suited, steady and hard, and with each stroke drawing out a cry from Abby and a groan from himself. This really was what he needed; Abby too if the truth be told. They'd been too afraid to be too vocal during their night time love making, but here in the open they knew they'd hear approaching danger before it got close and could afford to abandon themselves to the pure passion of their union for once.

Finding more confidence, Connor tugged at Abby's jacket and tossed it to the floor, followed by his own. His free hand slid under Abby's shirts, pulling aside the fabric of her bra to grasp her breast. Abby's breathing grew harder, urging him to tug at her remaining clothes like a man possessed.

"I need..." Connor gasped.

"I know," Abby responded, pulling her shirts off and then helping Connor to remove his. Finally, with trembling hands, Connor tore away Abby's bra and then pulled her flush against his body. Her fingers dug into his back with a bruising force that took his breath for a moment, but he recovered quickly and grabbed the back of her head to crush his lips against hers. As the wrestling of their tongues mimicked their entangled limbs, Connor felt the weeks of frustration and tension begin to gather together, creating a stirring in his groin that he knew was going to explode any moment.

His thrusts grew wilder, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh punctuating the cries and gasps from both of them. Every nerve ending in Connor's body fired as he soared towards an intense high. Releasing her mouth, he dropped his head to the nape of her neck and shoulder, nipping her with his teeth and revelling in the sounds she made.

"Abby!" His back arched and he felt himself hurtling out of control. He tried to anchor himself, grasping Abby's hips with both hands as he ground into her hard and erratically. Her hard nipples brushed against his chest, sending shivers down the length of his spine and straight down to his cock. Moments later, the familiar rippling of Abby's internal muscles around his shaft and her whimpering cries told him she had reached her own peak. He couldn't hold back any longer. He came, hard and almost violently, struggling to breathe. He was only vaguely aware of Abby, clinging to him as he thrashed out his release. His head reeled. It was too much, the intensity overwhelmed him and everything went black.

When he woke, his head was cradled in Abby's lap. She was nestled in the roots of the tree, stroking his hair softly. His eyes flickered open and he focused on her face, the look of concern in her eyes disappearing and being replaced by one of love. "Welcome back," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "You had me worried for a while there."

"Did I pass out?" His head hurt and his entire body ached. He was physically and mentally exhausted, all he wanted to do was sleep.

"Just for a moment."

"Sorry."

Abby shifted so that Connor could sit up, wincing slightly as she did so. "I hurt you!" Connor was horrified. She'd promised him she would stop him. "Abby, you..."

"Shh!" Abby pressed her finger to his lips. "I'm only hurting because it was little... rougher than we're used to. That's not a bad thing, Connor. Sex between two people who love and trust each other completely like we do isn't just the nice, warm soft stuff. Sometimes it's good to... abandon yourself."

"I lost control, Abby. I let my anger get the better of me. What if I'd hit you without realising?"

"I won't let that happen. Today was intense, maybe too much for you at the moment. Next time, it'll be different." She snuggled herself against Connor, letting his arms envelope her in his embrace. The slight breeze around their bare skin made them shiver but neither wanted to move. "Did it work though? Do you feel better?"

Connor sighed. The knotting in his stomach that he'd had for days had gone. Now he just felt tired and numb. He nodded and rested his chin on Abby's head, tightening his hold on her as if he was afraid she'd leave. He wouldn't blame her if she did.

"You have to promise me that you won't let yourself get this bad again, Connor. Things could get a whole lot worse here, we can't afford for you to make yourself ill."

"I know. I can't change what's happened to us, and dwelling on it is..."

"Exactly! And you need to learn how to deal with your frustration and anger. Tomorrow, we'll start some kick boxing lessons. A bit of self defence knowledge will always be helpful." Abby smiled and snuggled herself against Connor, the chill in the air starting to seep through to her bones.

"Kick boxing?"

"Worked for me and Jack when we were kids. Of course, it's not the only way. What we just did seemed pretty effective." Connor looked down through his heavy lidded eyes. He could barely keep them open but the look of love that Abby was giving him made him force himself to stay awake a little longer. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, tightening his hold on her. "Yeah," Abby said softly, closing her eyes. "We can have lessons on that too, once you've recovered from this one."

Finally feeling at peace with himself, he allowed his eyes to close too and began to drift off to sleep. Just before it took over, he whispered "Love you, Abby." He wasn't sure if she replied or not; it didn't matter. He already knew that she did, and today had reaffirmed it.


End file.
